Fatima rises at dawn  The hunger like a flame inside her  It's the feast of Ramadan  And her father's been praying for hours  He wears his disapproval  In a silence, cold but hysterical  Saw her last night with that Christian boy  And his world falls apart in America    Her mother fusses about  Her brother laughs in the kitchen  Then the phone explodes on the wall  Oh, my God, don't let it be Michael  Her father's glare is like violence  Who else would break the tradition  Except someone who laughs at our holy ways  Tears us apart in America    Fatima, you're breaking his heart  He doesn't understand your dilemma  A girl becomes a woman alone  Those who love her  Can no longer help her  Why didn't they tell him back home  Things fall apart in America    Fatima picks up the phone  Michael is his usual hilarious  She listens in silence and wonders  Why American boys are oblivious  I love you but this is good-bye  There are too many rivers between us  Father, forgive me, you're right  Things fall apart in America    Fatima, you're breaking his heart  He doesn't understand your dilemma  A girl becomes a woman alone  Those who love her  Can no longer help her  And Michael stares at the phone  As things fall apart in America